


The Portrait

by ohmakemeahercules



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 08:44:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5578975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmakemeahercules/pseuds/ohmakemeahercules
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peeta has a special gift for Katniss. But Buttercup has other ideas.</p><p>Rated PG-13 for one f-bomb, references to suicide and abuse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Portrait

**Author's Note:**

> Written for fyeaheverlark's Everlark Games. Inspired by my cat and her silly antics. Hope you all enjoy :)
> 
> I'm on Tumblr at @ohmakemeahercules

Dim yellow light peeked through the windows. Another early morning had arrived: another nightmare dispelled. The sun had started rising, but still covered by the horizon. It was Peeta Mellark’s favorite time of day to paint. The world hadn’t quite woken up. Yet the muted coloring promised a new day. No other part of day could replicate this kind of quietness.

He sat down at a wooden table in the living room. He and Katniss Everdeen had set aside this space for their recovery project: a memorial book of all their friends and colleagues who died in the Hunger Games and the war to extinguish them. They’d completed several pages, but procrastinated on the most important: Katniss’s little sister Prim. Yesterday, Peeta decided to paint a portrait of her as a gift. He wanted to capture her best qualities: compassionate with a steely determination. He went for a portrait style with an intricate blond braid while holding her beloved cat, Buttercup.  
The basic outline completed within an hour. Since then, he had slaved over the details to breathe as much life into the piece as possible.

A disgruntled ‘mrowr’ entered the room. _Ah_ , _speaking of. I must have woke him up. It’s not like I tread lightly._ Back in primary school, everyone wanted him as their hide-and-seek partner. The stomps of his boots always gave away his position; therefore, the child didn’t have to look hard for him. “Hey buddy,” he whispered.

“Mrowr,” the cat replied.

Peeta extended his hand toward the floor. The feline approached him warily. While he had spent every day at Katniss’s house since returning to District 12 nearly a month ago, Buttercup wasn’t thrilled about the new house guest. Their first meeting involved ferocious hissing and thrashing at his ankles. The past few days had fared better; Buttercup simply ignored Peeta while they were in the same room. Still, he held out hope the crotchety tomcat would accept him.

Sure enough, Buttercup rubbed his head against Peeta’s hand. He stroked the cat gently. “You’ll let me pet you, huh? Yeah. You’re not that mean, are you? You’re just like Katniss, rough around the edges but a heart of gold on the inside.”

This continued for another moment until Buttercup slipped out of Peeta’s grasp. _Okay, that’s over._ He returned to his previous task: detailing Prim’s hand stroking Buttercup’s tangled ginger fur. Her long delicate fingers materialized within seconds. Then he chose a thin pointed brush to add texture to the fur grasped in her hand.

Suddenly, the cat jumped onto the wooden table.

Peeta put down his brush. “Oh, hello. Want to see what I’m doing?”

Buttercup paced across while sniffing, his tail drooped between his legs. His beady golden eyes focused on the canvas. He wailed at the sight. Shades of brown, orange, yellow and blue tinted the cat’s paws and fur. The he circled once and curled up on the portrait.

Peeta chuckled and shook his head _. I can’t fault him. If we could reach through time, he’d be back in her arms again. At least he has pictures to remember her by. My family only exists in memories._ He had brought a few personal items when he moved into the Victor’s Village. However, the majority of family photos and records had perished along with the Mellarks in the firebombing. _No, not today. I can’t go down that road._

“What was that sound?” Katniss asked behind him.

Peeta turned around. Her brown hair cascaded down into gentle waves which framed her fresh features. “Buttercup saw what I was working on. Look where he’s sitting.”

She chuckled. “I’d take that as a compliment.”

“Why?”

“Your depiction of her was so lifelike, he thought she was actually there.” She sat down next to him.

“Paint wasn’t all the way dry, so it got on his belly. Nothing a bath can’t fix. Besides, the distorted color adds a little character to the piece.”

The cat glared sideways at Peeta, as if to say _Don’t even think about it, mister._

“Someone might object, babe.”

He shrugged. “I’ve had worse injuries.”

“Don’t let his size fool you. He can pack a punch. She sighed. "I would like to see your progress, though. You were still working when I went to bed last night.”

Peeta started reaching for Buttercup, but a fervent hiss caused him to back off.

“On second thought, let him have his moment.” Peeta said.

Katniss smiled. “Good. Then we can have ours.”

He started to furrow his brows. _What the hell is she talking about?_ Next thing he knew, their lips were pressed together. _Oh._ Her lips were smooth with a few lines in between. He cupped her cheeks with his hands. This was their first kiss since the Captiol sewers and his return to District 12. Blood rushed into his facial pores from the intensity and emotion. She moaned slightly as her her lips curled into a smile. _She chose me. God, what did I do to deserve this?_

His rosy cheeks beamed as they broke away. “Well, that was an unexpected and sweet surprise.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve missed kissing you. But I didn’t want to push out of respect for your feelings.”

“You have no idea how badly I missed your lips in 13. I used to rub your pearl across mine in attempts to recreate your kiss. That kiss came from my heart. And so will each one hereafter.”

He simply smiled again.

“The master of words has finally been silenced,” Katniss teased.

Peeta shrugged. “So?”

“Isn’t it nice that the outside expectations are gone?”

“Yes.”

Katniss raised an eyebrow. “That’s all?”

“What else should I say? Yes, Katniss, I’m thrilled we truly own these moments now. Mundane activities with you won’t get old because we’re together. Elaborate professions aren’t always necessary. One word answers can suffice, too.”

“You’re right. Just giving you a hard time.”

He smiled. “I know. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” This time he initiated this kiss, cradling her bottom lip between both of his. They switched places a few seconds later. All while their arms were wrapped around each other. _I love her. This is where I belong: with her._

“I love you, Katniss Everdeen. I always have and I always will.” He whispered.

This time she blushed and kissed him again. _I figured this would happen. She can respond when she feels ready._

Her eyes widened in fear and her grasp clenched on his arms as they backed off.

“What’s wrong?”

“This is real, right? No one’s gonna come and tear us apart.”

He nodded, placing two fingers under her chin. “Yes, this is real. No one can take this away from us. No bounties linger over our heads. No oppressive overlord to punish us if we don’t do his bidding.”

“Okay. Sorry. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the idea that we have free will. And that we can actually experience bliss.”

“Understood. It’s heaven to kiss you and know you truly want this, too.”

“I do. I want all of you. Yet, it’s pathetic that I can’t let myself fully enjoy this like you are.”

Peeta swept his finger across her cheek. “It’s a process. We can’t erase 17 years of trauma and hardship in one day. Today is a huge milestone in our journey back to each other and toward recovery. Moment by moment, we’re building a life together full of love and healing.”

“You didn’t have to come back.”

“Where else would I have gone? The Capitol has no use for a war veteran with PTSD. None of the other districts looked appealing. No, I came back for you.” He paused. “I’ve had a thought in the back of my mind the past 18 months. What would happen to us if the Games didn’t exist? If we were normal, everyday citizens not involved in their country’s political upheaval? What kind of relationship could we have?”

“I’ve wondered that, too. Circumstances weren’t ideal to entertain it.”

“I had to know the answer. I thought, our love exists somewhere within the wreckage. Let’s dig it up and rebuild it into a substantial entity.”

Katniss blushed. “I’m sorry I pushed you away for awhile.”

“You had a good reason. I was warped into a monster that almost killed you. No words will ever describe how much I regret and how sorry I am for that night. Once the fog cleared somewhat, I thought I had lost you for good.”

“Why?”

“Fear that I might attack you again and cause more damage. Or even worse, kill you. One day during therapy with Dr. A, it dawned on me what happened. I started crying violently, screaming and shaking. Coin must’ve found out somehow because two days later I was assigned to squad 451.”

“Did you get orders from her directly?”

“No, but the timing seemed all too convenient. Some soldier grabbed me from the padded room without warning, and then forced me to get dressed. In a half hour, I had to figure out how to assemble clunky military gear and operate a gun I’d never seen before.”

Katniss sighed. “You had no business being in that war zone.”

“Absolutely not. Dr. A lobbied to keep me in 13 to no avail. He told me about the deal you made when you agreed to be the Mockingjay. Defying her orders would’ve jeopardized that significantly.”

“Doesn’t make it right,” she muttered.

“We can freely say her moral compass pointed in a completely different direction than ours.”

His girlfriend laughed. “Nice to know your wit hasn’t gone anywhere.”

“Sarcasm and dry panning come with the package, Everdeen.”

“One of the many things I love about you. What happened next?”

 _Nightmares personified._ “Those streets were a trigger minefield. Gun shots at every turn, not knowing what lurked beneath our feet. Death breathing down our necks. The lowest moment was after I attacked you again and threw Mitchell into the pod. The venom was winning; the merciful thing would have been to shoot me through the heart.”

“I understood why. Yet there was a stubborn sense of… the boy with the bread who had been my companion and strength throughout this ordeal is in there. He can still come back. I couldn’t have lived with myself for throwing that chance away.”

“That feeling escalated once we encountered the lizard mutts. Mutts must have the same DNA base because I had some sort of strange connection to them. Your kiss awakened what I was ready to bury. I felt your love for me, which cast away the nightmares raging in my head. Then when you left Tigris’s apartment, I realized I couldn’t lose you again.”

“Did you follow me like we planned?”

“No, I headed into a different direction but ended up at the Circle. I noticed the hovercraft and Prim in the crowd. I started running toward the center but the explosion sent me backward. Once I heard your screams, instinct kicked in. Forget the flames mutilating my own skin, I only cared about you.”

“Hence explaining the burns,” Katniss motioned to his hands.

“Right. After that, it blurs together. I was working off fear and adrenaline. Spent a few days in the burn unit. Dr. A came back to the Capitol and started therapy again. Then the Victor’s Vote and execution happened.”

“Why did you bite my hand?”

“Purely selfish reasons, admittedly. You reached for the pill and I thought, NO! I can’t see the only love I have left die in front of me. I’ve seen enough death to last multiple lifetimes. I wanted to prevent suicide but not physically hurt you again. You can blame that one on first reaction.”

“And now we’re here. For better or worse.”

Peeta nodded. “Definitely better. President Snow tried his damn hardest to fuck me up. But he underestimated how much going to Hell and back, fully expecting to die, yet surviving three times can bond two people together.”

“And how far love can reach, even in the depths of despair. Thank you for stopping me that day.” Tears glistened in her ducts.

“Katniss,” He whispered sweetly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

She leaned her head against him. “If I had died, I would’ve missed days like this. Where we can create beautiful things together.”

“You’re right. What a tragedy that would be.”

A tear trickled down her cheek. “I’m so happy you’re back, Peeta. Life is manageable with you by my side.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He kissed her forehead.

“Finnick told me once that it takes ten times longer to put yourself back together than falling apart.”

“True. But that doesn’t mean recovery isn’t worth striving towards. We have each other to kiss until our lips get sore and hold each other when the grief overwhelms us. We’ll figure out ways to keep busy. I’m planning on rebuilding the bakery.”

“Won’t it be painful?”

He sighed. “Yeah. But a bakery is supposed to be a bright spot in town. People would come in for even a moment of indulgence with their favorite treat.  Everyone around here deserves that.”

“Good point. Will you let me taste test first?”

“Of course.”

“Could you make some cheese buns, please?”

Peeta playfully rolled his eyes. “I guess, since you asked so nicely.” They kissed.

Out of the corner of their eyes, Buttercup arose and stretched out his body.

“Someone’s waking up.” Katniss stated.

“Indeed. You want to see this?”

She nodded.

They turned to the table. Clumps of painted fur scattered across the picture. Peeta picked them off as Katniss gasped.

“What do you think?”

Katniss shook her head as the tears returned. “Thank you, Peeta. She’s beautiful. You’ve captured her essence. My little duck, forced to grow wings and fly away too soon.”

Peeta kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome, Kat.”

“God, I miss her. It’s not fair!” She sobbed.

He enveloped her in his arms in response. She buried her face in his chest as he caressed her

back and ran his fingers through her hair. _She’s right. It isn’t fair. She had a promising future, like all of us do. Until life warps our perception and steals our innocence. While it’s gut-wrenching that she’s crying, at least I can offer some form of support._

Katniss lifted her head after a few minutes.

“Feel better now?” He asked.

“My heart is a little less heavy.”  She pulled on his t-shirt to wipe her eyes. “Sorry.”

“That’s all right. Help yourself.”

She laughed and kissed his cheek. “Maybe I will.” Then glanced back to the portrait. “Can we frame and hang it in the living room once you’re done?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

“It is.” They kissed again, basking in the sweetness of the other’s lips.

“MROWR!” A shriek originated from their feet.

The couple broke away to find Buttercup scowling at them with a twitching tail.

“Aww. Someone’s tired of our mushiness,” Peeta said sarcastically.

“Better buckle up, buttercup. This is only the beginning.”

Peeta raised his eyebrow. “Talking to me or the cat?”

Katniss smiled slyly. “Both of you.”


End file.
